2007/2008 College of Business Advisory Council
Bernie Anderson '02
Regional Community Relations Director
NICOR Gas
Bloomington
Nicor Gas is one of the largest natural gas distribution companies in the country, serving more than two million customers in 641 communities in the northern third of Illinois.
As community relations director, Anderson’s responsibilities involve maintaining quality relationships with elected and appointed officials at the municipal and state levels. He also manages franchise contracts and serves as a spokesperson for the company.
Anderson has spent his career to date at Nicor. He accepted his first position with the company immediately upon high school graduation and has been steadily promoted to positions of increasing responsibility. While a full-time employee, Anderson earned his business degree from Illinois State University.
John Astroth '77
President
Heartland Community College
Normal
Heartland Community College enrolls more than 10,000 students annually: approximately 4,800 in credit programs and 6,700 in non-credit programs. Heartland welcomes students of all academic backgrounds and offers credit programs that lead to a bachelor's degree or directly to employment. Non-credit programs include training for business and industry, GED (general educational development), and ESL (English as a Second Language), as well as courses for personal enrichment. As part of a commitment to a complete education, Heartland also offers student study abroad and partners with two Chinese universities for various exchange opportunities.
Jon Astroth has been president of Heartland since 1991. Before that he was president of Rend Lake College and has worked at five Illinois community colleges. Astroth has served on numerous state and national boards related to higher education and was named visiting professor to Northeast Normal University in Changchun, Jilin, China.
Cindy Baier '84, M.S. '87
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Movie Gallery Inc.
Cindy Baier is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Movie Gallery Inc. Movie Gallery, Inc is the second largest North American home entertainment specialty retailer with approximately 3,300 stores located in all 50 U.S. states and Canada operating under the brands Movie Gallery, Hollywood Video and Game Crazy.
Baier previously served as Senior Vice President and CFO of World Kitchen LLC. Her financial career includes executive stints at Whitehall Jewelers Inc., Sears Roebuck and Co. and Arthur Andersen & Co.
Richard Barclay '72
Regional President - Central Illinois
U.S. Bank
Springfield
U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB), with assets in excess of $221 billion, is the sixth largest commercial bank in the United States. The company operates 2,498 banking offices and 4,837 ATMs, and provides a comprehensive line of banking, brokerage, insurance, investment, mortgage, trust, and payment services products to consumers, businesses, and institutions. Barclay has served in his current position with the bank since 2001.
Barclay’s responsibilities include overseeing commercial and retail sales for his region. In addition, he serves on numerous committees for his division, which is one of seven in community banking in the US Bank footprint.
A McLean County native, Barclay began his banking career in Peoria after graduating from Illinois State University and has worked at financial institutions in Bloomington and Springfield.
Peter Borowski '74
VP & Corporate Controller
COUNTRY Insurance & Financial Services
Bloomington
COUNTRY was founded in 1925 when a group of Illinois Agricultural Association members developed an organization to provide fire and lightning insurance. Crop, auto and life insurance were soon offered. Financial services, including retirement planning, estate planning, investment management, and annuities have been available for more than 35 years. COUNTRY has 3,600 employees and more than 2,000 agents who serve about one million households and businesses throughout the United States.
Pete Borowski has served as vice president and corporate controller for COUNTRY Insurance & Financial Services since May 2003. He joined COUNTRY in 1974 after earning his accounting degree from Illinois State University. Borowski is a CPA and is certified as a National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) Financial and Operations Principal.
During his career Borowski furthered his insurance education and completed the course work necessary to earn the insurance designations of Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU). He serves as chairman of the board of the Illinois Insurance Guaranty Fund.
Willie Brown '73
Executive Vice President
State Farm Insurance
Bloomington
State Farm® insures more cars than any other company in North America and is the leading U.S. home insurer. The company’s 17,000 agents and 68,000 employees serve more than 75 million auto, fire, life, and health policies in the United States and Canada. State Farm also offers banking, annuities, and mutual fund products to its customers. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. The corporation is ranked No.22 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies.
As executive vice president and member of Chairman’s Council of the State Farm Insurance Companies, Willie Brown has executive oversight for Creative Services, Administrative Services, and Enterprise Services. A native of Bloomington, Brown has spent his professional career at State Farm, rising steadily through the ranks. Along the way he earned a number of insurance designations including CLU, CPCU, and FLMI. Brown remains very active in public service. In 2005 he was inducted into the College of Business Hall of Fame.
Brian Christensen '87
Senior Vice President
David Vaughan Investments, Inc.
Peoria
David Vaughan Investments Inc. (DVI) is an investment advisory firm with offices in Peoria and Winter Park, Florida. DVI has been managing assets for corporations, pension plans, charitable organizations, and high net worth individuals since the late 1970’s. Assets under management exceed $1.3 billion.
As chief investment officer, Brian Christensen oversees the investment research, portfolio management, and trading functions of the firm. He has primary responsibility for directing the Florida operation and also participates in business development and relationship management.
Mike DeWalt '80
Director
Caterpiller Investor Relations
Peoria
Caterpillar Inc. is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, and industrial gas turbines and a range of related services. In 2006 sales and revenues exceeded the $41 billion mark.
Mike DeWalt joined Caterpillar in 1981 and has an extensive background in financial reporting and business analysis at the company. He has worked in a number of Caterpillar businesses in Illinois, California, Northern Ireland, and England. Prior to becoming the director of investor relations, DeWalt was the director of strategic investments and led that team supporting Caterpillar’s activity in mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, and alliances. DeWalt completed Caterpillar’s Advanced Management and Executive Programs at the University of Michigan.
Patrick Dienslake '81
Community President
National City Bank
Bloomington
National City Corporation (NYSE: NCC), headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, is one of the nation’s largest financial holding companies. The company operates through an extensive banking network, primarily in Ohio, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, and Pennsylvania, and also serves customers in selected markets nationally. Its core businesses includes commercial and retail banking, mortgage financing and servicing, consumer finance, and asset management.
Patrick Dienslake provides leadership and management responsibilities in advancing the bank’s corporate and small business banking franchise in the Bloomington-Normal market. He serves as spokesperson for the bank in the local market and directs all its philanthropic activities.
Andy Drendel '72
Senior Vice President & Chief Fiduciary Officer
LaSalle Bank
Chicago
LaSalle Bank N.A. is the second largest bank in Chicago with more than $62.8 billion in assets, $36.4 billion in deposits, more than 140 retail locations, and 500 ATMs. It is a subsidiary of Netherlands-based ABN AMRO Bank N.V., among the world’s largest banks.
With his solid background in fiduciary practice, trust administration, and business management, Andy Drendel has supervisory responsibility for fiduciary matters in the Wealth Management and Personal Financial Services Groups, both as a senior administrator and as a member of the bank’s Fiduciary Committee. He sets trust policy for all LaSalle offices in Illinois, Michigan, and California. His duties also involve providing comprehensive personal financial services to high net worth clients in a variety of areas including income taxation, estate and financial planning, investments, probate avoidance, and wealth transfer.
Drendel came to LaSalle from a position as vice president, manager, and senior administrator in the Milwaukee office of Marshall & Ilsley Trust Company. Prior to his five years in Milwaukee, he managed the business development and administration officers at the First National Bank & Trust Company of Rockford. Starting his career in Peoria at The First National Bank of Peoria, Drendel received his Certified Trust and Financial Advisor designation from the Institute of Certified Bankers. Drendel serves as president of The Corporate Fiduciaries Association of Illinois. He is a member of the Chicago Estate Planning Council, is a life member of the American Business Club, and serves on various boards of civic and not-for-profit organizations.
Joe Glawe '76
Partner
Clifton Gunderson LLC
Peoria
Clifton Gunderson is a CPA and consulting firm ranking 13th in size among all firms in the United States. The company provides a full complement of accounting and financial consulting services to a wide variety of clientele.
Joe Glawe is responsible for providing audit and consulting services to clients in the manufacturing, distribution, construction, and service industries. In addition, he serves as a consultant and expert witness to attorneys in commercial litigation and business valuation matters.
Kenneth T. Glover '73
President and CEO
Univation Technologies LLC
Houston
Univation Technologies, a joint venture between ExxonMobil Chemical Company and Union Carbide Corporation, a subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, is the world's leading technology licensing company to the polyethylene industry and the largest supplier of related catalysts. The company's global activities are focused on innovation through leading edge R&D, licensing proprietary technologies, developing and selling related catalysts, and intellectual property rights. Nearly a quarter of the world's polyethylene is produced using the company's proprietary process technology across 25 countries.
Mr. Glover has been the president of Univation Technologies since 2005 and has a combined professional experience of over 33 years in Mobil Corporation, now Exxon Mobil Corporation. His career has covered a range of functions which include accounting/finance, planning, marketing, and senior line management and varying businesses which include specialty chemicals, mining, plastics, and petrochemicals. He has held positions in several USA locations and in Europe.
Mr. Glover holds a B.S. in business administration from Illinois State University.
Ron Greene
President and COO
Afni, Inc.
Bloomington
Afni Inc. provides customer interaction solutions for market leaders primarily in the communications and insurance industries. A privately held company, headquartered in Bloomington, Afni’s presence spans the United States, providing a tailored call center, collections, insurance, and debt purchase services to the nation’s leading companies. Afni has more than 4,200 employees in six states.
Ron Greene, a CPA, earned his degree from the University of Illinois. He has been with Afni since 1992 and has helped manage the growth of the company as it expanded the range of services and increased the number of facilities and employees.
In addition to his service to Illinois State University, Greene serves on the board of the American Collectors Association International and the McLean County Chamber of Commerce.
Ben Hart '95
Vice President of Corporate Services
Heritage Enterprises
Bloomington
Heritage Enterprises is in the senior housing and care industry primarily providing long-term care to the elderly. The company provides a wide range of services including skilled nursing care, assisted and supportive living, independent housing, and specialized Alzheimer’s care.
As vice president of corporate services, Hart’s responsibilities encompass three divisions: facilities, marketing, and new development. Heritage Enterprises was founded in Bloomington in 1963. The company now operates 32 facilities throughout Illinois and has four new properties in various stages of development.
Hart graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a bachelor’s degree in accounting and earned his M.B.A. from Illinois State University. He has spent his career-to-date with Heritage Enterprises. Prior to assuming his current position, Hart was the administrator for Heritage Manor-Bloomington.
Richard Heckinger '71
SeniorPolicy Advisor
Federal Reserve Bank
Chicago
In 1913 Congress established the Federal Reserve System to foster a sound banking system and a healthy economy. Richard Heckinger is a senior policy advisor at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, one of 12 regional Reserve Banks across the United States.
Prior to joining the Federal Reserve, Heckinger was director and head of the Deutsche Boerse/Eurex US Representative Office located in Chicago. Previously he served as managing director for Global Link at State Street Corporation in Boston, where he directed the company-wide conversion to the Euro currency.
Heckinger’s international experiences include serving as deputy managing director of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange’s European Representative Office in London, as chief operating officer of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong, and chief executive of the Hong Kong Securities Clearing Corporation. In addition he was a member of the Council of the Stock Exchange, its Executive Committee and a member of the Board of Directors of the Clearing Corporation.
After graduating with his bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Illinois State University, Heckinger earned a master’s degree in economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London. He also completed the Advanced Management Course at the University of Chicago.
Jim Hoyt
Vice President fro Strategic Planning & Coporate Sevices
GROWMARK
Bloomington
GROWMARK Inc. is a regional farm supply and grain marketing cooperative. It provides wholesale purchasing of farm inputs and a wide range of services to local supply member cooperatives primarily in the Midwest and Ontario, Canada. It also gives grain marketing support to Midwest member cooperatives. Through subsidiary operations, farmers in the northeast U.S. are served by GROWMARK FS and Seedway.
Jim Hoyt became vice president, strategic planning and corporate services on February 16, 2007. In that position, he provides management direction to the company’s strategic planning efforts and the Corporate Communications and Marketing Services, Human Resources, Government Affairs, and Flight Operations business units. His GROWMARK System career began in 1971 as a petroleum salesperson at the Farm Bureau Service Company, of Maynard, Iowa. In 1973 he joined FS Services Inc., a predecessor of GROWMARK. He has held a variety of staff and management responsibilities in the U.S. regions and also served as executive director, Canadian operations following GROWMARK’s acquisition of the assets of United Cooperatives of Ontario in 1995.
Hoyt holds a B.A. in marketing. He has served on the board and executive committee of the Canadian Co-operative Association, and was the 2001 recipient of the “Cooperative Spirit Award” for Outstanding Contributions to CCA. As a volunteer with VOCA (Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance), he has assisted agricultural businesses in Poland to restructure their business model through co-operative development.
Karen Jensen
President & CEO
Farnsworth Group
Bloomington, IL
Farnsworth Group, Inc. is a full-service engineering, architecture and survey firm with more than 300 employees located throughout a nationwide network of offices. In addition to traditional services, the firm provides cutting edge technologies, including LEED consulting and Building Commissioning. Farnsworth Group is ranked as one of Engineering News-Record’s Top 500 Design Firms, with an in-depth portfolio of projects and a client base that includes farm communities, Fortune 500 companies and the Federal Government.
Jensen earned her degree in civil engineering from the University of Nebraska and an M.B.A. from Illinois State University. Prior to joining Farnsworth Group in 2002, Jensen served in various senior management roles, including president and COO for Environmental Science & Engineering, Inc. (ESE), a national environmental and engineering consulting firm.
As an active community leader, Jensen serves in board positions for a number of organizations including United Way of Central Illinois 2007 Campaign Cabinet, American Red Cross - Central Illinois Chapter, McLean County Chamber of Commerce, OSF Saint Francis Advisory Board and the Peoria Production Shop.
John F. Kocher '87
Senior Vice President
MulitAd
Peoria
For more than 60 years, MultiAd has provided its customers with innovative solutions for the creation, organization, facilitation, and distribution of marketing content. Whether the client is a manufacturer, financial institution, retailer, newspaper, or publisher, MultiAd’s enterprise solutions are designed to help maintain brand integrity. The company’s capabilities include asset management, online document creation tools, marketing resource management applications, image and data libraries, desktop publishing software, sheet-fed and print-on-demand services, content distribution, and mailing services.
Kocher is senior vice president of the Kwikee Division which develops, manages, and distributes national and store branded images and data for advertising, promotional, and merchandising needs. His passion and vision for MultiAd Kwikee, coupled with his forward thinking, have produced innovative solutions for both manufacturers and the Consumer Package Goods’ retail trade community. Kocher’s contributions have been recognized with multiple awards from MultiAd. He was also elected as one of Peoria Area’s “40 Leaders Under 40” in 2001.
Community service is a central value for Kocher. He serves on the Advisory Board for the St. Jude Midwest Affiliate. He has been treasurer of the St. Jude Benefit Meet for the past 16 years and is involved in many fund-raising events benefiting the organization. Kocher has also been an active volunteer working on behalf of Easter Seals, American Red Cross, American Lung Association, American Cancer Society, The Children’s Hospital of Illinois, Children’s Miracle Network, and many of the Catholic parishes in the Peoria area.
Chris Korsgard '84
Partner
Sikich LLP
Aurora
Sikich is one of the leading providers of professional services in the Midwest. The firm’s 250 professionals are based at six Midwest offices to serve middle-market businesses, governmental entities, and not-for-profit organizations. The company develops and assists clients in implementing strategic, operational, financial, management, and technology solutions to the most complex challenges posed in today’s global economy. Its Information Technology division focuses primarily on Microsoft products and services, including ERP and CRM applications. The Microsoft Dynamics software consulting team is part of the firm’s $15 million IT consulting division and is currently in the top 1 percent of Microsoft consulting partners in the world, with more than 1,000 clients including Illinois Tool Works and Caterpillar.
As a partner at Sikich Technology, Korsgard focuses on information technology (IT) consulting services. He oversees the business and financial (ERP) software team that designs, develops and implements technology solutions for companies across a broad spectrum of industries and organizations, including Caterpillar, Illinois Tool Works and Equity Group.
Korsgard began his career as an auditor with Price Waterhouse (PW) in Chicago, eventually transferring into the firm’s technology consulting division just as personal computers were beginning to penetrate corporate America. He left PW in 1989 to join Wolf & Company, a regional CPA firm in Oak Brook, where he became a partner heading up Wolf’s IT consulting area. In 1995 Korsgard co-founded Softbite Solutions with fellow Illinois State grad Kevin Smith. In 2002 the company merged with Sikich, a large regional CPA firm based in Aurora. Korsgard serves on several boards helping to advise Microsoft on the direction of their business software (Microsoft Dynamics) division and is also on the U.S. Board of the International Association of Microsoft Certified Partners (IAMCP).
Kris Lutt M.B.A. '06
General Manager
ADM Specialty Fee Division
Decatur
Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) is the world leader in bioenergy and has a premier position in the agricultural processing value chain. ADM is one of the world’s largest processors of soybeans, corn, wheat and cocoa. ADM is a leading manufacturer of biodiesel, ethanol, soybean oil and meal, corn sweeteners, flour and other value-added food and feed ingredients. Headquartered in Decatur, Illinois, the company has more than 26,000 employees, over 240 processing plants and net sales for 2006 exceeding $37 billion.
Kris Lutt was named general manager, specialty feed ingredients division in September 2007. In this position, he is responsible for ADM’s global amino acid business, which includes sales offices in Europe, China, Singapore, Australia, Brazil, Mexico and the United States.
Kris joined ADM in 2002 and previously served as vice president, Corn Processing. Prior to that appointment, he was the general manager, ADM/LSI, a food ingredients distribution network. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry from the University of Nebraska and an MBA from Illinois State University in 2006.
Kelan Manning '86
Controller
John Deere Construction Equipment Division
Dubuque, Iowa
John Deere (Deere & Company - NYSE: DE) is the world's leading manufacturer of agricultural and forestry equipment, a major manufacturer of construction equipment, and a leading supplier of equipment used in lawn, grounds, and turf care. John Deere also manufactures and markets engines used in heavy equipment and provides landscape and worldwide financial services. Since 1837, the company has extended its heritage of integrity, quality, commitment, and innovation around the globe.
As controller, Manning directs all financial aspects of John Deere’s Construction Equipment Division. This includes financial reporting, internal controls/SOX compliance,and financial analysis for 25 product lines designed and manufactured in various locations in the United States, Europe, and Africa. He is also a member of the division’s leadership and strategic planning teams.
After graduating from Illinois State University, Manning spent a short time in public accounting in Chicago. He then joined John Deere where he has held positions in all areas of finance and accounting including Internal Audit, Tax, Consolidations, International Finance, Business Planning, Financial Planning, Plant Controller, and Division Controller. Manning spent two years in Europe and Africa, and has also lived in eight different locations in the U.S. and Canadaduring his 20-year career with the company. Manning has a master's degree from the Kellogg Graduate School of Business at Northwestern University, serves on the boards of directors for several organizations, and is an adjunct professor of finance and accounting at a private college.
Connie Oller-Heston '81
Director - Dispatch Resource Center
Verizon
Fort Wayne, Indiana
New York-based Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ), is a leader in delivering broadband and other wire line and wireless communication innovations to mass market, business, government, and wholesale customers. A Dow 30 company, Verizon has a diverse workforce of approximately 242,000. It serves more than 59 million customers nationwide and generated more than $88 billion in revenues last year.
Oller-Heston is responsible for installation and maintenance dispatch activities associated with supporting approximately four million broadband and copper network customers in Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan. Prior to her current assignment, Oller-Heston was responsible for building the outside plant infrastructure for the telecommunications network within the Midwest region’s five-state area.
Oller-Heston joined the former GTE organization in 1981 and has held numerous positions of increasing responsibility in Business Outside Sales, Consumer Ordering and Billing, Consumer/Business Repair, Technical and Administrative Staff Support, Construction, and Customer Operations.
Oller-Heston holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a minor in economics from Illinois State University. She is also a chapter executive advisor for the Women’s Association of Verizon Employees (WAVE) resource group.
Michael Richard '75
Senior VP & Treasurer
McDonald's Corporation
Oak Brook
With more than 30,000 local restaurants, McDonald’s is the leading global food service retailer. Each day nearly 50 million customers are served in more than 119 countries around the world. Mike Richard joined McDonald’s Corporation in 1987 as director of financial accounting and reporting and rose steadily through positions of increasing responsibility. He was promoted to his current role in December 1999.
Previously Richard worked for 10 years at Arthur Young & Co., where he held the position of audit principal. He serves as treasurer of Ronald McDonald House Charities and as chairman of the McDonald’s Profit Sharing Plan Administrative Committee. Richard was inducted into the College of Business Hall of Fame in 2004.
Sharon Rossmark '78
Assistant Vice President, Agency Distribution
Allstate Insurance
Northbrook
The Allstate Corporation is the nation’s largest publicly held personal lines insurer. A Fortune 100 company, with $157.5 billion in assets, it was founded in 1931 and became a publicly traded company in 1993. Allstate sells 13 major lines of insurance. Those include auto, property, life, and commercial. The corporation also offers banking services, retirement, and investment products.
Sharon Rossmark has enjoyed a 29-year progressive career in insurance claims, sales, marketing, and distribution. She co-chairs a cross-functional executive committee for Allstate’s Direct to Consumer Strategy and serves as the business lead and co-sponsor for Allstate’s Agency Technology Strategy. Rossmark is executive sponsor for Allstate’s National Sales Education Center and manages a $10 million division focused on project and process management.
Rossmark served as executive producer and creative developer for a WWII documentary and is a named inventor on three Allstate patents.
Dan Rutherford '78
Senator
State of Illinois
Dan Rutherford was first elected to the Illinois Senate in 2002 following a 10-year term in the House of Representatives, where he served as the Assistant Republican leader. As a member of the Senate, he is the ranking Republican serving on the Financial Institutions Committee, and also acts as a member of the Environment and Energy Committee and the bi-partisan Joint Committee on Administrative Rules. Following his graduation from Illinois State University, where he served as Student Body President, Senator Rutherford began his career as a Legislative Assistant in Springfield.
While on a business trip to Japan in 1984, Dan became familiar with the ServiceMaster Company. A year later he joined the firm, which is headquartered in Downers Grove. Rutherford is responsible for international expansion of the company, licensing services in Chile, Brazil, Honduras, Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Guam, Venezuela, South Africa, Spain, Czechoslovakia, Indonesia, Panama, Italy, Mexico and the Philippines. Today he serves as Vice President with ServiceMaster, a Fortune 500 Company.
Michael Smith
President & CEO
State Farm Bank
Bloomington
State Farm Bank received formal approval for a thrift charter in November 1998 and focuses on consumer-oriented financial products, complementing State Farm's insurance focus on personal lines. A non-traditional financial institution, State Farm Bank does not have branch offices. The bulk of direct customer interaction and product assistance is provided by State Farm® agents, augmented by a telephone call center, mail, and the Internet. The bank has nearly $14 billion in total assets.
Mike Smith joined State Farm in 1997 as CFO-State Farm Bank and was promoted to his current position in January 2007. Prior to joining the company, he was a consultant with a large organization serving clients in the financial services industry.
Smith received a bachelor's degree in accounting from Michigan State University and became a certified public accountant in 1981.
Tony Sorcic '75, M.B.A. '76
President & CEO
Citizens First National Bank
Princeton
Founded in 1865, Citizens First National Bank is a $1 billion community bank with professional, highly motivated employees who know the bank’s customers and provide individualized, quality service. Citizens currently offers a complete range of investment, commercial, and retail banking products and services through 21 offices conveniently located throughout North Central Illinois.
Princeton National Bancorp Inc. is the parent holding company of Citizens First National Bank. Since the formation of the holding company, seven acquisitions have been completed with the banks acquired subsequently being merged into Citizens First National Bank. Tony Sorcic provides strategic direction and management for the bank and holding company. During his 26-year tenure, Citizens has grown to be the largest agribusiness credit bank in the state of Illinois.
Community service has been a top priority throughout Sorcic’s career. As a result of his example and encouragement, his staff typically provides more than 12,000 hours of volunteer service each year.
Keith Steffen '73
CEO
OSF Saint Francis Medical Center
Peoria
Located on the bluff overlooking the Illinois River, OSF Saint Francis Medical Center is a major regional healthcare provider. A 580-bed teaching/tertiary institution, it is served by more than 700 physicians, has a Level 1 Trauma Center, and serves as home to Children’s Hospital of Illinois, a 127-bed hospital that includes neonatal and pediatric intensive care units and more than 60 physician specialists.
OSF Saint Francis Medical Center’s reputation is enhanced by its commitment to education. In-house schools include radiography, clinical laboratory science, histotechnology, and a dietetic internship program. The Saint Francis College of Nursing offers baccalaureate and master of science programs. The medical center has nine residency programs through the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria and is the clinical site for a variety of area colleges.
Steffen has been with OSF Saint Francis since 1980 in positions of increasing responsibility. He was named CEO in 1996. In 2003 Steffen achieved fellow status in the American College of Healthcare Executives.
Herb Stoller '64
Chairman/CEO
Widmer Interiors
Peoria
Widmer Interiors designs and furnishes office, institutional, and healthcare interiors. With offices in Peoria, Normal, and Champaign, Widmer Interiors is the premier provider of products and services in more than 30 counties in Central Illinois. Widmer is a distributor for Herman Miller, Kimball, HON, and many other manufacturers, providing private office furniture, office workstations, seating, and related furnishings from flooring to window treatments, classroom and conference product lines, and clinical and patient room products for acute and long-term care facilities.
As chairman of the Board, Stoller’s responsibilities are focused on consultation and advisory duties. Day-to-day duties have been passed to the next generation of this private, family-owned business. Stoller received the 2005 Illinois Family Business of the Year Award from Loyola University Chicago Family Business Center and Harris Bank.
Prior to acquiring Widmer Interiors, Stoller was employed for 25 years by USA Financial, a financial services company operating 200 consumer loan offices throughout the Midwest and Southeast. During his tenure at USA Financial, Stoller held many positions including CFO. He was president of USA Financial at the time the company was sold.
Dale Strassheim
CEO
Baby Fold
Normal
The Baby Fold is a multi-faceted human service agency that provides residential, special education, child welfare, and family support services. The Residential Treatment Center operated by the Baby Fold provides mental health treatment for children ages 3 through 13 with severe emotional and behavioral disorders who cannot be treated successfully in a less structured setting. Children served include those with severe behavioral disorders, psychiatric disorders, learning disabilities, and victims of trauma. Adoption is another core service of The Baby Fold that has continued throughout the agency’s existence. The Baby Fold has also received recognition for its ability to find adoptive homes for children with severe disabilities. Since 2001 it has offered inter-country adoption services in response to the plight of homeless children around the world and the desire of local families to adopt these children. Hammitt Schools are a non-public-school alternative that serves more than 140 children and young adults who need a special learning environment.
As president and CEO of The Baby Fold, Strassheim effectively leads the agency in bettering the lives of children and families in our communities and state. The Baby Fold employs 280 individuals on four campuses in Normal and offers a variety of services to several thousand children and hundreds of families every year.
Strassheim has 30-plus years of leadership experience in healthcare and human service organizations. He has also participated in numerous community service projects including the McLean County Chamber of Commerce Board and the United Way of McLean County annual campaign.
Donn Vucovich '85
President
Brokerage Shared Services - Hub International
Chicago
Donn Vucovich is President of Brokerage Shared Services for Hub International, the Chicago-based (re)insurance brokerage. In addition, he will join Hub’s executive management team and executive committee. Previously Donn served as a Managing Director at Navigant Consulting, where he was responsible for technology and operations for Navigant’s North American Business Consulting Practice.
HUB International Limited is a leading North American insurance brokerage that provides a broad array of property and casualty, life and health, employee benefits, reinsurance, investment and risk management products and services throughout offices located in the United States and Canada.
Mary Ann Webb '78
Principal Partner
Sulaski & Webb, CPAs
Bloomington
A 2006 College of Business Alumni Hall of Fame honoree, Mary Ann Webb was the first woman to be admitted to partnership in a CPA firm in McLean County. She was named a Woman of Distinction in 1992 by the YWCA in recognition of her career achievements and is currently a member of the board of directors of the Illinois CPA Society and the Illinois CPA Endowment Fund. Mary Ann has shown tremendous support for Illinois State University with many years of service on various advisory councils, steering committees. She has also held leadership positions in the Redbird Club.
A long record of service to others is evident in Mary Ann’s community involvement. She has been a director of Citizens First Financial Corporation and Citizens Savings Bank and is currently a director of Main Street Bank & Trust. Mary Ann has served as President of the Children’s Foundation, Chair of the Workforce Investment Board, as Treasurer of the Bloomington Rotary Club, and as an officer of the McLean County Chamber of Commerce. Other commitments include her work with the United Way Fundraising Campaign Cabinet and the YWCA board of directors. Mary Ann is currently chair of the multi-county Alzheimer’s Leadership Council.
